Trust
by hersheygal
Summary: From the beginning, Jack and Kate trusted each other, but when Jack finds out about Kate’s secret, he finds it hard to trust her again, until he realizes that what Kate did doesn’t matter. Set in Tabula Rasa in Season 1


Trust

Disclaimer: I don't own LOST.

A/N: Here's something different for a change. This is set in the end of Tabula Rasa in Season 1. Remember that conversation Jack and Kate had at the end? This explains Jack and Kate's feelings up to that point.

"_I am not a murderer."_

Jack's hurtful words played through her head, over and over again. She hadn't wanted him to see her mugshot. She didn't want anyone to know about her past. Now that Jack knew, anyone else could know too. But she was certain that Jack wouldn't tell anyone, would he? She'd only known him a few days but for some reason, she knew that she could trust him, at least up until now.

One thing was for sure, she felt like she could confide in him. She had up to that point. Maybe she could tell him what she did, and maybe, just maybe, he would understand, and they could go back to being friends. Maybe if they got their pasts out in the open they would have a stronger bond. She knew that if she didn't do something, that they would go from being friends to strangers again in an instant.

Kate stood at the ocean, thinking about all of this, when she heard someone up the beach. One of the survivors was talking to Jack. She closed her eyes as she tried to remember his name. Hurley. That was right. He had seemed scared of her earlier, and maybe that was why. Maybe he had found out about her. If he knew, who else knew? She knew she had to stop it before anything else happened.

"So, have you talked to the fugitive?"

"Would you stop calling her that? Her name's Kate." Jack said, irritated.

"Are you okay dude?"

Jack shook his head, not in the mood for casualties. "Do you want something Hurley?"

"Look, after the marshal died last night, everyone is freaked out, and the last thing we need is a fugitive that could kill any one of us in the night."

"Kate wouldn't kill anyone."

"How can you be so sure?" Hurley asked.

Jack glanced at Kate, who was standing in the water. "I just know."

"So you like, trust her?"

Kate felt Jack's eyes on her, and she turned. They shared a glance before they looked away.

"Yeah." Jack said finally. "I do."

"Well I wish I shared your confidence." Hurley said as he walked away.

"Hurley." Jack called to him.

"What?"

"Have you told anyone else about her?"

"No."

"Don't. It's our secret. No one else needs to know."

Hurley stopped and thought for a second. "Okay dude, but if she kills someone, it's your fault."

Jack grinned. "I'll remember that."

Jack walked through the camp, stopping now and then to talk to some of the survivors. He didn't know most of their names, and the ones that he did know he knew hardly anything about them. But no one knew anything about him either.

Finally Jack came to the beach where he sat down. He looked to his left, and Kate was far down the beach. He looked at the ocean. The night before he had taken the marshal out of his tent and into the jungle where he had buried him. It had taken him most of the night since he was tired and emotional. He had been forced to finish the job that Sawyer had started. In a way, he knew he was relieved. He knew that the marshal was going to die, and everyone else knew it too. It was his own stubbornness that had pushed on. He wasn't just going to let the marshal die.

He'd only slept a few hours each night since they had crashed and before they had crashed he hadn't slept much then either because of what had happened to his father. It was safe to say that Jack wasn't taking care of himself.

And then there was Kate. He was already letting himself get involved. Like the marshal had said, she had gotten to him. Her willingness to stitch up his wound on the first day amazed him. Ever since then she had continued to show that strength. She was going on all the missions, all the treks. He couldn't help but realize how much she was like him. Instead of dealing with her problems she distracted herself by keeping busy.

She was a lot like him, and he was saddened that it seemed like their friendship was coming to an end. He hoped there was a way that they could move on, but for now he didn't want to think about it. He would worry about it later.

He realized that this crash could be what he needed, a second chance. Maybe he could finally move on and start over. His heart sank as he realized that Kate deserved the same chance too.

"I want to tell you what I did, why he was after me."

Jack was startled; he hadn't even noticed Kate coming to sit next to him.

Jack turned to look at her. The pleading look in her eyes made him melt. He looked back to the ocean.

"I don't want to know. It doesn't matter Kate, who we were, what we did before this-before the crash. It's doesn't really…. Three days ago we all died. We should all be able to start over."

Jack looked back at Kate, waiting to see what she would say.

"Okay." Kate nodded.

"Okay." A mutual understanding passed through them, and they knew that things would be okay again. The trust they had hadn't been broken, it had just needed a little push.

A/N: Let me know what you thought. :)


End file.
